My Mapillary mount (the one Mapillary sent me in the mail) keeps falling off when I put it in my car (I am using rental cars so I am constantly taking it out and putting it on). Is there any good way of keeping it in place (the suction cup isn’t strong enough)? I have tried tape and it doesn’t work.

It seemed that the mount had some sort of adhesive which wore off after putting the mount on and taking it off the car a few times. After that it is very difficult to keep the mount on for very long. I managed to get useful imagery a few times (Taunton Road in Durham Region and Yonge Street in York Region) but the mount falls off regularly.

I noticed that when I received my mount, the package was damaged (though the mount itself appeared undamaged) and Canada Post had put it in a bag saying “damaged parcel” on it, but the mount appears fine except for the fact that the bottom of it isn’t sticky enough. Does this have something to do with it? Or is this a problem with Mapillary’s mounts in general that a lot of people are having? Would it be better for me to buy a different type of smartphone mount online, does anyone know of a type of mount that works better?

@andrewpmk I noticed that if you hold the mount in such a way that the suction cup faces up and makes a shallow bowl, put a few drops of water in there and rub it around with your finger. Dust and dirt that has accumulated on the adhesive will come off into the water and can be rinsed off easily. After this, my mount stuck and hasn’t come off since.

@andrewpmk Give @ian’s suggestion a go and if it doesn’t work we can send you another one. Most mounts aren’t designed to be continually taken off and put back on as the adhesive naturally wears off but I understand when you’re in rental cars you don’t really have a choice.

Up…
I’m still facing the same problem. I asked for the first mount two years ago for permanent settling in my personal car. After less than one year, it fell down. Following ian suggestion, I tried some cleaning with water and put it again on the windscreen. It was more or less ok but, now, the game is over.

I also asked a second mount last year for a travel in Madagascar. So I mounted and unmounted it several times in local transportation. I was careful with water rinsing and putting the protective plastic paper not in use and stored in a small plastic bag. It was ok for the whole travel. Now, I wanted to use it in my car after one year rest. It didn’t stick for 5 minutes.

Car mounts are presently out of stock. Any other suggestions to resurrect my mounts?

I asked for the first mount two years ago for permanent settling in my personal car.

The Mapillary mounts are great for a free option, but if you are looking for a long-term fixture in your car and can afford it you may consider buying a different one. For example I have an iOttie Easytouch 2 which has a much stronger adhesive and has not fallen down.

Am I understanding correctly that this mount has a suction cup? Where are you mounting it? It needs to be on a smooth surface. If it’s on the dashboard itself, it’s not going to work. Most of them are too rough which prevents a good seal.